Far Away
by Isevale
Summary: After Maora and Maguri had a blow out, Maora leaves to go to America. Maguri is sure that their relationship is over, but when Maora comes back after two years, will they be able to fix what was broken? Maguri x Maora
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Maguri sat on a bench, looking over the park on the level below. The sun was only just coming up, allowing him to watch the flaming reds and golds painted across the morning sky. He blinked his eyes, wanting sleep, knowing he should have slept, or at least should soon, but he knew that he couldn't. A piece of paper was held limply in his right hand, the crumples and folds suggesting that it had been held and read many times over. He raised it to his line of sight - as he had been doing frequently for the past few hours - looked it over, then dropped his arm again to stare out into the sky.

_I know we haven__'__t seen each for two years__…_

He sighed. Confusion swirled in his head as he sat, just staring and thinking. The last time they saw each other was so long ago, and so much had changed since then. Because of what happened, they had never gone back to what they were, especially since they went their separate ways afterwards. They had barely even talked over the last two years. He wasn't ready…

_But I__'__m coming back to Japan to visit this summer__…_

Maguri let his head roll back, and closed his eyes. A nervous flutter filled his stomach, creating a dull ache. All the thinking made his head ache too. He held up the letter again, then finally folded it up and put it in his pocket. He looked at his watch, blinking through the blurry vision his tiredness had created, and read the digital numbers. Groaning, he stood up, and stretched himself out, starting the slow, long walk home.

_And I want to see you._

_Sincerely,_

_Maora_

* * *

**A/N** Finally a new story! This is my first Gentlemen's Alliance fic. Takes place in the future, after they're all done highschool. (Although, I haven't read past the fifth book, so don't blame me for anything inconsistent with the manga.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

Maguri sighed as he sat in the living room of his apartment, which he shared with Takanari. He had been lazing out on their couch for roughly three hours, and had no plans on moving anytime soon. However, Takanari had other ideas for him. For the last half hour, he had been trying to convince Maguri to get up, and at least change out of his pajamas. It was four in the after noon, after all.

"Maguri, c'mon, we're supposed to be at Haine's in ten minutes. Maora is going to be really disappointed if he doesn't see you there," Takanari said from his room, as he put on his shoes, and then headed out into the living room. He stood in front of the TV, which Maguri's eyes had been glued the entire time he spent on the couch, and gave his friend a disapproving look. Maguri only yawned, and flopped his hand in a lazy motion for Takanari to move.

"Busy. Watching TV. Move please," he said, avoiding the issue al together. No one else knew about the spat that him and Maora had before Maora left to go to America. And according to all their friends, they were still the best of friends, and potentially a couple. According to Maguri however, they were basically through.

"Maguri. Stop it, what's wrong with you? Why don't you want to go see Maora?" Takanari drilled on, not budging from in front of the television. Maguri picked up the controlled and flicked it off, figuring that if he couldn't watch television, then he'd take a nap. His head rolled back onto the arm rest, and he closed his eyes. Although slightly irritated by his friend's insistence that he move, he understood Takanari's concern. Maguri was a social person, he loved his friends, even if he acted crazy and possessive sometimes.

"Shizun," Maguri whined, Takanari rolling his eyes at the old nickname Maguri refused to let go of. "I just…well, I can't. I'll explain it to you later. But I can't go."

Takanari sighed, partly in frustration and partly in concern. He had noticed Maguri was acting differently the last few days, ever since he got that letter from Maora actually, but wanted to respect Maguri's privacy. If he wanted to tell him what was up, then he would have. He didn't think it would go as far as Maguri avoiding being around after Maora had returned though.

"Alright," Takanari said, and turned to leave, stopping in the doorway to look over his shoulder at Maguri, who had turned to TV back on, and was staring at the glowing screen. "At least get dressed or do something."

"Yeah, yeah," Maguri said, waving him off.

"And me and Haine won't be here for supper, so fend for yourself."

"Yeah, I know. Now go, you're already going to be late enough."

Takanari left. Maguri grabbed the pillow behind his back, and clutched it to his chest, burying his face into the soft fabric. "Stupid Shizun. Stupid Maora," he muttered, the sound coming out sounding like more of a muffled mumbling rather then actual, coherent words. This was followed by a sniffle, then a cough, then the pillow flying across the room, hitting the opposite wall, and falling to the floor.

When Takanari got home that night - around 11:30 - Maguri had fallen asleep on the couch. His dishevelled clothing was the same as when Takanari had left. The only thing that had moved was the pillow on the floor against a wall, and a bucket of chocolate ice cream was melting on the coffee table. He had to give Maguri some props though, because his shirt was at least half off, which meant that he had made an attempt to stay true to his word. Takanari sighed, and cleaned up the mess his room mate had made, turning off the still glowing TV, and putting away various snacks Maguri had used to sustain himself the duration of the day. Then, with the disappointed shake of his head, he retrieved a blanket from Maguri's room, and draped it over the sleeping boy.

"Stupid Maguri," he muttered, and began to walk towards his room.

The next morning when Maguri awoke, he sat up on the couch, blinking lazily as the sunlight through the window burned his retinas. "Did something crawl up and die in my mouth?" he muttered, and then winced when a cup of coffee was slamming down onto the table beside him. He looked up blearily to see Takanari giving him a critical glare.

"You didn't brush your teeth, I'm assuming," he said, turning towards their kitchenette while sipping his own coffee. Maguri stared at the cup of steaming coffee as Takanari gave him no chance to speak.

"I see you didn't change like you said you would either."

"But I--"

"Maguri, you have five minutes to drink that coffee. Then you're going to get up off that couch, go get dressed, and come back here, where you will proceed to tell me why the hell you are so depressed."

"Shizun I--"

"Don't give me anymore excuses. You weren't there to see the look on Maora's face last night when he saw that you weren't coming. " He pointed an accusing finger at Maguri, while still holding something that looked like pity in his expression. "I didn't know what to tell him when he asked me why. I said that you were busy, and that you'd meet with him another time."

Maguri stared into his coffee for the moment of silence that had settled over them. He didn't really have much to say anymore. Maora was trying to repair the friendship, but Maguri still didn't want to deal with it. He took a sip of the coffee (which he now had three minutes to finish drinking).

"So you're going to lunch with him this afternoon."

Upon hearing this, he choked on the mouthful of liquid. Eyes widening he turned to his room mate. "You didn't!"

Takanari raised an eyebrow, and then smirked.

"You didn't! You're just joking!"

"You're going to work out your issues," Takanari said, and then delivered what was to be the end of their conversation, "whether you like it, or not."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

Maguri groaned as he trudged his way out to the cab that was waiting for him. After a gruelling hour of explaining himself to Takanari, hoping that his friend would take pity on him and not make him go, he was on his way to see Maora. Takanari was standing outside of their apartment building, making sure that Maguri actually got in the car, so there was no chance of escape. the cab driver already had his instructions to go straight to the café where he was to meet Maora, and he was not to listen to anything Maguri said, no matter how much pleading, screaming, whining, begging, and crying was involved.

And when he sat in the back of the cab, all of the above listed began.

None of it worked.

Maguri resigned five minutes before arriving at the café. He sat back against the leather seat and sighed. The car slowed to a stop in front of a busy café, and the cab driver waited for Maguri to get out. Once he had, hesitantly, the cab sped away before he had the chance to hop back in and hide away. He sighed again, a tactic he was using frequently to keep himself calm, and walked into the café, looking around at all the tables for Maora.

Maguri sat down at a table, after unsuccessfully scouting out Maora. He was so tempted to just leave then and there, but knew that Takanari would just set something else up. He was going to have to deal with Maora at some point, and although he'd prefer it to happen later, it was better sooner.

"Uhm, hi."

He heard a voice from beside him, and looked up from staring at the table top to see a man standing in front of him. He was relieved to find that it wasn't Maora, although the blonde hair reminded him so much of his former friend. The man was young, but looked older then he probably was because of the grey suit he was wearing, and thick rimmed glasses resting on his nose that hid his eyes.

"Can I…sit down?" the man asked, and Maguri raised an eyebrow. When he looked around though, he noticed that the place had no other seat available.

Maguri nodded, but thought he should warn the man. "Sure, but I'm waiting for someone."

The man hesitated, and looked Maguri over. Maguri suddenly felt self conscious, and really odd as the man stood there and looked at him, while Maguri looked away awkwardly. The man sat down.

A waitress came by to take their orders, Maguri ordered black coffee, and ignored what the other man ordered. For some reason, the man kept looking at Maguri, making him more and more nervous. Finally, he looked up.

"What?" he asked, annoyance clear in his tone.

"Nothing. I just…who are you waiting for?"

Maguri didn't expect the man to try to make conversation, so he was a bit taken back. He stopped for a moment.

"My…friend is meeting me here."

"Oh, I see."

"Just came back from America."

"Oh? Haven't seen him for a while then?"

Maguri suddenly became suspicious. "No…not for two years."

"Well, you must be excited to see your friend then."

Maguri suddenly felt trapped in the conversation, even though he wasn't sure what to say. If he avoided now, then the stranger would know that he wasn't particularly excited to be meeting Maora, but it would be a lie to tell him he was. He decided to go with a shrug.

The man looked a bit disappointed. "No?"

Maguri hid his frustration. "I don't know. I'm nervous."

"Oh, why?"

He decided that hiding his frustration was now a bad idea. "You know what, never mind. Mind your own business okay?"

He rested his cheek on his hand, his elbow propped up on the table, and looked away. The man

didn't say anything until the waitress came over, bringing them their drinks.

"I'm just curious, you know. When I saw you, you looked really sad."

Maguri only sighed.

"So your friend isn't here yet, are you sure they're coming?"

Maguri looked at his watch, noticing that he had been waiting for about fifteen minutes. Maora still hadn't shown, which he found a bit strange, since Maora was generally a punctual person. Maybe Maora forgot and he was spared from having to deal with him.

The stranger sitting across from him chuckled, making Maguri look at him curiously. "What?"

"You just suddenly looked kind of relieved. Not nervous anymore?"

Maguri shook his head. "I am still. But I was hoping to see him anyways, just to get things sorted out. We…had a fight."

The man looked interested, and happier then Maguri thought he should. "What about?"

"Er…that's…"

The man waved his hand, "Nevermind, that's probably too personal."

Maguri bit his lip, wondering if he should mention it. This person was, for some reason, interested in his life. Maybe he could give him some advice. "Well, uhm…he got a girlfriend."

"Oh? Is that a bad thing?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, "He betrayed me!"

The stranger's eyes widened, perhaps a little startled by the sudden outburst.

"Sorry. I mean, well…I loved him."

Maguri could see the sudden realization in the stranger's face. "Ooooh."

"Yeah. I'm gay, got a problem with it?"

The man held up his hands defensively. "No, no, of course not. Continue."

"Well, I loved him, and he knew it. I told him! Or, I tried to tell him. But I'm pretty sure he knew! And…how could he go out with a girl? He dressed like a girl for all of high school for Christ's sake. He shouldn't have…." he stopped to take a drink of his coffee. "I sound like a whiny teenager. I'm sorry."

The man reached across the table a gave his a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. Maguri looked at his watch again. Another five minutes had passed, and still no Maora. He looked out to the rest of the café to see if Maora had sat down somewhere else, but no luck.

"Well, I'm sure there's a reason that your friend decided to start dating women."

Maguri shook his head. "But he had me. I don't know why…"

"Did you ever…make a move on him?"

"I did! Well…" Maguri thought for a moment, "Okay, I thought about it. I guess we had our moments but nothing really happened. Shit, I probably should have done something. Shown him that I…"

"Hey, don't take it too hard. I mean, he might have got tired of waiting, but maybe he was just trying to push you into making a move. So that he knew how you felt before he left. But since you didn't tell him, he didn't know." The stranger sighed. "He didn't know you loved him, otherwise maybe he would have tried to be with you."

Maguri felt a wave of sadness wash over him. All of the 'what ifs' came to mind. "But instead I got mad, yelled at him. And he left thinking that I hated him and…oh shit. I'm the one who messed up."

"Maguri, if you talk to him, he'll forgive you. He's your friend, so trust him. But, I have to go now. Nice talking to you." With that, the man stood up, and walked away, giving Maguri a little wave as he left.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three**

Maguri dragged himself back to the apartment after the rather disappointing meeting at the cafe. It wasn't that the conversation was disappointing, in fact it was the most in depth conversation with a stranger he had ever had, but it was the fact that now he realized all the mistakes he had made in the past. He already had his mind set on one thing, but now everything had completely changed from that one simple conversation. He was glad that at least he had figured it out before having to confront Maora, so he didn't look like a jackass, but he how had to re-think all that he needed to say.

He opened the door to the apartment, letting out a great sigh as he did so, and began to take off his shoes. When he looked up, he saw Takanari and Haine sitting on the couch together, Haine going on about something or other. He had only heard the tail end of the conversation before his entrance made the girl go silent. They both stared at his as he tossed his shoes to the side, and straightened himself.

In an attempt to ignore their stares, he turned his back to them, not wanting to talk about what happened in the cafe, although he didn't think he would get away with it. He knew them well enough at that point to know that they weren't going to be left hanging about important details.

But damnit, he was going to try to escape just this once.

Just when he thought he was safe, which happened to be when he got to the door of bedroom, and opened it a crack, they spoke.

"Dodgy, aren't we?"

"Some thing must have happened! What happened Maguri?!"

He sighed, and turned to see Haine bouncing in her place on the couch and looking at him expectantly. Takanari was calm as usual, but it was obvious to Maguri that he wanted to know what happened as well. And why wouldn't he, after he went through so much trouble getting Maguri to the cafe to begin with.

"Nothing happened," Maguri stated, plain and simple, "I drank some coffee, Maora didn't show, so I bolted."

He entered his room, closing the door behind him, and hoped that neither one of them would follow him. They didn't.

While Maguri left to be moody in his room, Haine turned to Takanari with a huff. "Somehow, I'm disappointed," she stated, and Takanari only relaxed back against the couch. Haine sighed and crossed her arms across her chest. "I wonder what happened to Maora...? I mean, I know he was acting kinda different when we brought it up yesterday, but I didn't think he would skip out... "

Takanari shrugged, but really his mind was reeling. He couldn't help but feel annoyed that nothing had happened. Unless Maguri was lying about Maora not showing up, but Takanari didn't think that he would lie about something like that.

Haine got up and went to the phone, determined to figure out the problem. She dialed, and it rang, but no answer came. Disappointed in the result, she went to sit back down on the couch, bringing the portable phone with her to try again. After several attempts at calling Maora - all with the same result - she gave up, and put the phone on the table. Takanari only looked at her helplessly, not able to quell her frustration.

The phone rang.

Haine jumped, a little surprised to hear it ring so soon after she had put it down. She answered with a cautious hello, hoping it was Maora. Takanari watched with interest as the conversation went on, and Haine's face twisted into a strange look of intense sadness. She hung up the phone, and looked to Takanari.

There was silence for a moment, which he felt he should break, but she spoke before he could ask what had gone on.

"That...that was...Maora's in the hospital."


End file.
